Estate of Panic

I sometimes wonder if the Television Gustapo has a line feeding straight into my brain, selectively cancelling every television show I LIKE.

Just like they did with Moonlight and Brimstone, it's looking like Estate of Panic, after one season, is done.


I understand EoP isn't officially cancelled, they just aren't making new episodes? They tease as well as taunt me...

The Inspirational Mr. Crowley

Aleistair Crowley that is. If you haven't heard of him... where the hell have you been?? I'll do a great dis-service to those who actually don't know of him, and not explain who he was or what he did, O.K.?

I got my first Crowley book (Magick in Theory and Practice) in 1986. Since then, I've acquired most of the books he's written, as far as I know. Acquired that is, not actually read. (Ozzy my friend, I want to know what he meant too, I just haven't quite firgured it out yet.) It isn't that I haven't tried, and it's not that I've tried and failed either. He has a truly devilish sense of humor I love, and conceptually I think I have him down pretty well. I'm with him on Theory, it's the Practice which eludes me.

Here's why: His writings never fail to make me think. It's mental exercise, rather than exhausting, it's exhilerating. He gives me sense of how much I don't know, not about his stuff, but in the general sense.

I started reading 777 last weekend, and here's what I came away with: I newfound desire to learn the Alphabet. Why did it take Crowley to make me see this?

I.... don't.... know.

Digital Art

I'm not even going to get into my thoughts on digital artists. I know of, and personally, some amazing artists who work primarily in the digital medium. I also know of, and personally, some people who have no talent or ability whatsoever, and make pictures using computers to make up for what they never bothered to develope themselves, and fancy themselves "artists." None of that has anything to do with this post.

Here's my biggest issue with creating art digitally: There's no resulting "work of art". Think about (for a cheap and easy example) the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is one of the most recognizable, most commonly used images in the mind of humanity. It's been emulated, imitated, duplicated, copied.... I'm sure even copulated, but there's only ONE. One original painting. That's it. It's that rarety which makes it one of the most valuable works of art in the Louvre. That will not happen with a digital image.

A digital image, by it's very nature, requires a computer to view, or a print to be made. Even a fine art print, on canvas and the whole nine yards, is still a copy. More copies can be made, indistinguishable from the rest.

Call me.... *insert appropriate word here* .... but I have a passion for the concept of the one-of-a-kind-original. A painting, oils acrylics or whatever, is that.

The Origin of Ideas...

It's the woe of many an artist. The inevitable question: "Where do you get all of your ideas?"

I've decided to post my own:

"Top 10 Responses"

10. HUH?!?

9. That is an excellent question... EXCELLENT! How long have you been doing interviews?

8. They are beamed directly to me from the Mothership.

7. I often wonder that myself.

6. I don't care where they are from... MAKE THEM STOP!!!!

5. You believe I have ideas... really? REALLY?!? I think I love you...

4. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you... do you really want to know? *look hopeful*

3. Is there a specific idea you'd like to know about?

2. I find them while searching around in my pants.

1. Who's to say where Creativity originates? I believe it was Aristotle who said... no, I think it was Buddha, no wait a minute... Niztche'? Why Niztche'? No, he didn't say anything about that... at least I don't think he did... he might have... I get so confused sometimes...

No Necon for me this year...

Since making the decision not to attend this year, I have been dreaming about it on a regular basis. No Convention has infected me like Necon has.

Postmortem Productions pays for itself. 2008 was NOT a good year for us business-wise, Partly due to the economic woes felt by everyone, partly due to the time constraints of my FTJ. Regardless of the "why's," usually I count myself lucky to break even financially at Necon. When I come close to taking in what it cost me to be there, I'm ecstatic. Last year wasn't it, and other venues didn't make up any of the difference either. This isn't "financial woes," we're still solid, but there isn't the money in the Postmortem Budget to cover good times for their own sake this year.

One good aspect of this is next year, Dark Lords willing, I'll be there, ....with a ton of new stuff.